


Cross-pollination

by citizen101erased



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Dealing with Emotions, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Original Character(s), Star Trek - Freeform, Vulcan Culture, it's all in a conversation and nothing super explicit, there is (internalized) homophobia but I promise it's not like awful?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-11-02 02:50:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20596796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/citizen101erased/pseuds/citizen101erased
Summary: Captain Turak from Vulcan did not mean to crash on earth with her crew. She especially did not mean to break all the rules and accidentally have first contact with two humans called Dan and Phil, while at a Muse concert. But it happened anyway, and maybe everyone gets out of this a little bit better than before.





	Cross-pollination

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Muse phan fest ](https://musephan2009.tumblr.com).
> 
> Inspired by [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjc0wFPVuVo), because I love the alien balloons having a great time. I also just really, really love Star Trek. 
> 
> (Yes, D&P were at the Muse concert in Wembley in 2010, so they must’ve seen the UFO and the acrobat and probably also the alien balloons in the audience.)
> 
> See the notes at the end for Star Trek reference explanations.
> 
> Thank you so, so much to [insectbah](http://insectbah.tumblr.com) for beta-ing! My first ever beta! I am eternally grateful. This fic would have so many spelling errors and weird inconsistencies if it weren't for you <3

“All systems red alert!” 

Turak jumps up as the alarms start blaring around the room. 

“All engines failing!” 

“30 seconds until we breach the atmosphere!” 

“Shields are down to 16%!” 

All the information being shouted in her general direction fades to the background as the blue planet becomes so big it fills the screen. 

They’re about to crash on an unknown planet. Captain Turak knows this, and she knows her crew does too. Still, it wouldn’t do for a captain of a ship to show any sign of distress, so she keeps her composure. 

“Direct all remaining energy to the shields and send a distress signal to the ShiKahr.” 

“Sir, communications are down,” Varek says, his hands flying over the consoles. “I cannot contact the ShiKahr.” 

Turak curses inwardly. She knows this is unbecoming and illogical, but the situation seems to call for it regardless. “Can we send out a probe with a distress signal?” 

There is a moment of silence before Romar responds. “Sir, because we are entering the atmosphere of an unknown planet, all hatches have automatically sealed and we cannot send a probe right now.” 

The screen flares red and yellow around them as they breach the atmosphere. 

“Brace for impact!” Captain Turak says as she sits back down and presses the button for emergency safety belts. The clicking sound of the belts of her crew is barely audible over the rush of air and fire whipping past her small ship. 

She takes a deep breath as they hurtle ever closer to the ground on this strange, new planet. 

\---

Turak opens her eyes to see they’ve landed – very softly, thankfully – on what seems to be a large, empty grey space. It is dark on this side of the planet, and she doesn’t see any of the native beings around. 

“Damage report?” 

“No injuries, sir. The shields are still operative, but communications are down.” 

“Romar, please investigate the problem with the communication system.” She unclicks her safety belts, standing up on wobbly legs. “Sakonna, what do we know of this planet?” 

The First Science Officer is already fussing over her screens, probably glad to have something to focus on. Sakonna had never been to an alien planet before, having always preferred to keep a distance. Turak makes a mental note to check on Sakonna later to make sure she is mentally dealing with the sudden change. 

“Sensors show no indication of hazardous viruses. Air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Gravity is lower than we’re used to; however, I believe it to be a safe environment.” 

“Sir, as your security officer I must object,” Aloran says. “We do not yet have enough information to properly assess any potential dangerous situations.”

“Understood, Aloran. Sakonna, do we have information on native species?” 

“Not yet, sir. Sensors indicate there to be humanoid life forms around, but most are inside the buildings and not currently moving. There are also many varieties of smaller creatures, many of which do not seem to be active at the moment either. I hesitate to draw more conclusions until we have more data to asses.” 

“Very well, Sakonna. Thank you.” Turak turns to face all five of her crew members. “I suggest that, for the time being, we stay inside the ship. If anyone needs to eat, or meditate to work through recent experiences, you have some time to do that now. We will reconvene here in twelve hours to discuss further plans.” 

Her crew members nod in understanding, and all stay seated to keep working. 

\--- 

After a while, the sky outside slowly turns a light blue and the beings seem to get more active. 

The findings of Turak’s two science officers, Sakonna and Sunvar, so far seem to be limited to the following: 

  * This is a humanoid species 
  * They are not yet warp capable
  * The ship has likely landed in an urban area
  * The universal translator is starting to pick up multiple languages spoken even just within the nearby area, which is only exciting for Varek, their communication officer, and a major inconvenience for everyone else as this means it will take longer for the translator to work
  * The local species is very curious
  * It is probably safe to go outside to explore further 

Although Sakonna keeps insisting her data is insufficient for proper analysis of safety, Turak is aware Sakonna would probably say that regardless of how much data she collects. 

“Romar, have you investigated the issues with the communication systems?” Turak asks her engineering officer. 

“Yes, sir. The engine problems caused the cooling fluid container to leak, which in turn caused the wires of the subspace transceiver to essentially disintegrate. We now require both new electrical wires and a solution to the leaking. However, the material for the casing of the cooling fluid is only available on Vulcan, and we do not have it on reserve.” 

“And the engines?” 

“Completely burned out, sir. As of yet, I do not know why. However, I do know the replicators are also malfunctioning, which means that not only can we not replicate replacement modules for the engines and comm system, we are also currently without food or water.”

“Understood. Crew, please gather.” She waits until everyone is facing her before she continues. 

“I understand this is an unknown and perilous situation. Not only our skills in logic and science, but also those in determination and survival, will be put to the test. We will venture outside fifteen minutes from now. Our priority will be food and water. Once we have sourced that, we will focus on a solution for the communication system. If anyone has any comments, requests or requirements, please come to me immediately. It is only logical for us all to keep together closely, and please note that we should not make contact with the local beings unless absolutely necessary.” 

The crew nods in agreement, before calmly walking off into different directions to gather the supplies they will need. 

Once outside, they notice large amounts of beings walking in the direction of a particularly imposing structure. A lot of them have clothing or other objects with the same symbols on them. 

“I suggest we follow these beings and see where it leads. There might be some kind of ritual happening. It might be interesting to witness and could give us more information on where to find a potential replacement material for our communication system.” 

Their ship seems to be attracting attention. A lot of the beings are looking at it and pointing. Some appear to be scanning it with small pocket devices. The strange thing about this is that none of the beings seem to be bothered by their ship. They seem to...like it, even. 

“Oh my god, look at that UFO!” a being that has come close says. It’s a short one with long brown hair tied up into a tail that swings as she moves. Turak is not sure what a god has to do with them, but she figures right now that is the least of their worries. 

“And they even hired actors to play aliens! Oh man, this concert is going to be great!” 

“Did you hear they also have a UFO during the show?” another being says. 

“Oh I heard something about that! It floats over the audience, right? That’s so cool!”

Turak glances at her crew members, who also seem to be listening intently. 

The beings wave at them and shout “We come in peace!” before running off. 

Turak turns to her crew. 

“It seems there will be some kind of ship at this ritual. I suggest we head there first to see if it will be of any use to us. I was not aware that this species has advanced space flight, but it would be illogical to ignore the possibility.” 

Following the crowd, they soon reach a large, strange building. There is an impressive arch over it, and on the front there is a big sign that says MUSE, similar to the clothing the beings are wearing. 

“Perhaps this Muse is their god, and this will be a major praying ritual?” Aloran says. 

“Perhaps, but it would not do to speculate before we have gathered more information,” Sakonna replies tersely. 

“I take it you’re here for some pre-show entertainment? They did say some was coming, though I gotta say I didn’t expect you to show up in full costume already,” a surly man says when they reach little gates. All the beings are showing something before they are let past the gates. 

“Yes,” Turak says, figuring it would be best to simply agree and see where it leads them. If this being is making assumptions that will let them go inside without needing any proof, it would be illogical to try to explain otherwise to him. 

He grunts in response, muttering something about “bloody terrible communication as usual” under his breath before manually opening one of the gates and letting them all through. 

\---

“Captain, I would appreciate some suggestions as to what to do next,” Aloran says as they huddle together in a corner, as far away as possible from the looks they get. 

“Remember, our first priority is sustenance. We do not know what is on this other ship, so we had better find something to keep up our energy for now.” 

“Captain, there is something here that seems to be a plant. I am not detecting any toxins. It might be edible to us,” Sunvar says while scanning a sole potted plant nearby. It seems to be one of the only few plants around. 

“May I suggest it might be put in a pot in this building with the purpose of providing sustenance to these beings?” Romar asks. 

“I highly doubt this,” Sunvar says. “There are not enough to provide for this many beings. Aside from that, they all seem to ignore the plants exist at all.” 

“Sunvar, do we know for sure these are safe to eat?” Aloran asks, eyeing the plant with a glint in his eyes that Turak recognizes as barely-restrained curiosity. Aloran has always been less skilled at restraining himself. It made him a bad student, but now it makes him a good security officer who can react quickly, even if he’s sometimes the one who put himself in a dangerous situation to begin with. 

“Yes, they are –” Sunvar begins, but he doesn’t get to finish his sentence before Aloran has taken off a leaf and put it in his mouth. 

It is then that Turak notices two beings staring at them. She doesn’t need Sunvar’s analysis to see that these two are much taller than average. They both have dark hair, cut in very similar styles, though one has slightly more brown hair while the other has black. If it wasn’t for their pale skin and strange, round ears, they could have passed for Vulcans. As it is, they look similar enough that Turak feels strangely comforted by their sight, as if she’s seeing a little bit of home, despite being lightyears away. 

They are somehow managing to whisper loudly at each other. 

“Don’t!” the brown-haired one says. “They’re eating plants; they’re definitely not right in the head.” 

The other just hums in response before ignoring his companion and walking up to the corner with their little group. 

“Hello!” the being says, waving one hand at the group. The other one is following behind, obviously with more trepidation. (A wise decision, Turak thinks.) 

“Captain, should we engage? I am uncertain this is safe,” Sakonna whispers. 

Varek, on the contrary, says loudly, “They might be able to help. I believe engaging is the wisest action at this moment.” Aloran mumbles something that sounds like agreement while still chewing his leaf. 

Turak considers for a moment, glancing back at the two beings who are now standing still and staring at them with confusion, apprehension and curiosity written all over their faces. 

“I will engage. We have already determined this species is close to warp capability, and I would very much like to be able to contact the ShiKahr.” She turns back and steps towards the beings before her crew members have another chance to protest. “Hello,” she says.

“I just noticed you were... eating... this plant here, and I was wondering if you’re okay? Because you don’t really seem...okay,” the first one who approached says. The translator is working, but apparently it did break after all, since it’s 34.73% slower than usual, causing a strange lag between the words. Or perhaps the being is purposefully putting pauses between words for some intended effect Turak is not yet aware of. 

“Is this not okay?” she asks when the translation is finally done. 

“Well, it’s a bit weird, isn’t it. Are you some kind of theatre group? Is this part of an act?” 

This sentence flows normally. So the previous effect was intended, which raises a lot of questions for Turak. 

“I do not understand.” 

“Well, if you’re hired to perform here, then isn’t standing in a corner a bit… pointless?” 

“I...still do not understand. We are merely searching for sustenance but do not know yet what is and is not edible.” 

The two beings glance at each other. There seems to be some sort of communication happening, although she is not picking up anything telepathic. The potential of a new kind of communication must be very exciting to Varek, and Turak makes a mental note to talk to him about this later. 

“Did no one show you where to get food?” the other being says. 

“We do not know anyone here.” 

“Oh! Well, that’s bad management, then,” the first one says, eyebrows knit together. “I don’t know what kind of arrangement you have with the organisers to pay for it, but we can show you where we get food?” 

“We would be most thankful. However, we have no way of paying for it.” 

Another glance at each other.

“Alright, we have decided we feel sorry for you, so we’ll buy you something. But, neither of us has a lot of money so we can only get you something small, if that’s alright with you?” 

“Your hospitality is appreciated, and we would consider it illogical and improper to make demands of it. Something small is acceptable.” 

“Right! Follow us then!” They turn around, and, while looking over their shoulders, start walking away. 

“By the way!” the first being says. “My name is Phil, and this is Dan.” He points at the other being who does a little wave with his hand. “Nice to meet you!” 

“It is our pleasure to meet you. My name is Turak, and these are my crew members, Varek, Romar, Sakonna, Aloran and Sunvar.” 

“Oh, wow! You have even thought up alien names? You’re really very committed to this act, aren’t you?” Dan says. 

Turak is unsure for a moment whether to continue with this idea that they are an ‘act,’ or to tell Dan and Phil the truth. 

The latter would be a breach of Savar’s Prime Directive. The Vulcan High Council would certainly expect them to adhere to that no matter what. Yet, since they were here, talking to the locals and accepting their hospitality, that obviously didn’t happen. Besides, the ship had been out of their control and they crash landed in a city. Detection was inevitable. But would it be pushing it too far to really explain the truth? Would they even be believed? From the looks of it, Phil might be open to the suggestion, but Dan would not. 

But if she only explains it to Phil and had him explain it to Dan...then perhaps? 

She decides to take her chances. 

“Pardon me, Phil. May I speak to you for a moment?” 

They walk a little bit away from her crew and Dan. 

“I understand you and Dan are under the impression we are an act. However, I must inform you, this is not true. We are from the planet Vulcan, about 16 light years from this planet. We are a small scouting ship, and our current mission is to seek out new life and new civilizations in this solar system. Unfortunately, due to engine issues, we crash landed here last night.” 

Phil seems to listen intently the whole time. By the time she’s finished, his arms are crossed. 

“Right. So you’re telling me you’re not actors hired to make this performance even cooler?” 

“I do not see what temperature has to do with this, but no. We are not actors. I am the captain of this scout ship.” 

“Why would you tell me this though? Don’t you have some kind of rule to stop from interfering with undeveloped species?” 

He thinks of his species as undeveloped? Now there’s an interesting thought she wants to follow up at some point. But this is not the moment. 

“Yes, we do. It’s called Savar’s Prime Directive. I will very likely be prosecuted for this conversation alone, nevermind everything else we have done here so far and will inevitably do later. However, I consider our survival and return to the ShiKahr more important.” 

“What if I don’t believe you.” 

“Tell me what it would take to convince you.” 

He ponders over this for a moment. 

“Show me your ship,” he says, his voice a mixture of incredulity and excitement.

This is a very, very bad idea. She knows it. At this point though, she supposes she might as well. 

“I will. Perhaps after we have eaten? We are a desert species, and can last long without sleep or water, but we would appreciate food to keep our energy up until we can get back.”

“Okay, um. That doesn’t really help for now though. Alright, silly question: are those ears real and can you pull the tip of them real hard for me to prove it?” 

Turak blinks at him. Well, then. On the upside, no one on Vulcan will know about this if she doesn’t tell anyone. 

She reaches for her right ear, and pulls hard on it. Her face starts blushing bright green in embarrassment. 

“Oh,” Phil whispers, his arms unfolding to hang at his side. 

“Okay, last question,” he says suddenly. Turak raises an eyebrow. “Do you come in peace?” 

“Yes, of course. Our entire culture is based on non-violent principles. Is this a common thing to ask on your planet? I heard the phrase said earlier today, too.” 

“Yeah, it’s a thing. You’ll hear it a lot. The green blushing thing was very convincing.” 

“You are convinced now?” 

“Mostly, yeah, I guess. I mean, it’s hard to believe. First contact with an alien species, and I meet them at a Muse concert? It’s all very unreal. For now I’ll take it, though.” 

“I understand this must be very confusing. However, I do wish to ask you to convince Dan, too. I estimate he is more likely to believe you rather than us.” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right about that. Let me talk to him for a moment.” 

She nods, and watches as he gently nudges Dan’s elbow before putting a hand on the small of his back to lead him away. They talk softly for a while. She sees Phil motioning the ear pulling, and she can feel herself start blushing again. This just leads to Phil pointing at her, and then to his cheeks. Dan is watching with big eyes. 

Shortly after that, they seem to come to some sort of agreement, and come back. 

“We’re not fully convinced you’re actual aliens just yet, because that would be insane,” Dan starts. “But just for the sake of seeing what happens, we’re going to roll with it. Besides, we’re also both hungry.” 

Turak exhales in relief. That’s one less hurdle to deal with for now. It will be good to have some on-planet allies for the duration of their stay on this planet. She’s glad she decided to explain it all. 

\---

“It’s so expensive here!” Dan wails dramatically as he sees the prices listed. “£5.70 for a hotdog? Seriously?” 

Turak can’t help but be slightly taken aback by the blatant display and even exaggeration of emotion. 

“Do you want one?” Phil asks Dan. 

“Not for that amount of money, no.” 

“What is a ‘hot dog’?” Aloran asks, eyeing the drawings on the stall. 

“It’s a bun with a sausage and some sauces,” Phil says, unhelpfully. 

“Oh wow Phil, as if aliens know what a bun or a sausage is. That’s so helpful of you,” Dan says in a tone Turak does not quite understand. She decides to dismiss it. Dan just seems to talk like this a lot. 

“Actually,” Phil says, frowning. “I’m not sure we can find anything for you to eat at a venue like this, except maybe sweets.”

Dan suddenly gasps.“Chocolate! We should give them chocolate!” 

15 minutes later, Turak feels amazing. Although the world would be better if it stopped spinning so much, she still finds she can’t complain. She feels warm and fuzzy, and illogically tempted to embrace her crew members. 

Dan and Phil are staring at them, and Turak is not sure what their facial expressions mean. Instead, she laughs. 

“We should not have given them chocolate,” Phil says. 

“Are you kidding me? First contact, and we get them drunk on chocolate within the hour? This is amazing,” Dan says, laughing. Turak thinks he has a lovely laugh. He should use it more often. 

\---

Thankfully, sobering up doesn’t take long. This isn’t the first time Turak is thankful for Vulcans’ quick metabolism, although there are some stories there her parents would be horrified to learn. Then again, nothing new there. 

Back to business. 

They’re all sitting on the floor against a wall. It had taken some smooth talking from Turak to keep all her crew members close by despite their inebriated state, but it had worked. 

“Dan, Phil,” she starts, turning her body towards them. They’re sitting next to each other, chatting softly but excitedly about the upcoming concert and the songs they hope will be played. They stop when they hear Turak’s voice though, and turn to her as one. 

“If possible, I would like to request your help. We need supplies to fix our subspace communication systems, but we do not know what to get or where to get it, as we are, as you know, new on this planet.” 

“Uh, yeah. Of course!” Phil says. “We’ll do what we can. Right, Dan?” 

Dan looks less enthusiastic.“Yeah, I guess. We’re terrible at actually fixing things, though.” 

“Alright,” Turak nods. “It is pertinent that we achieve communication as soon as possible. I understand there is to be some kind of ship at this ritual.” 

“Ritual?!” Dan says at the same time as Phil says, “Ship?!” 

“Is it not some kind of ritual?” Aloran asks. 

“No!” Dan says. “It’s a concert. Musicians play music, we enjoy that music, afterwards we all go home happier.” 

“Ah, so it is merely a performance,” Romar says. Something in Dan’s face changes for a split second. 

“It’s not JUST a performance,” he says, his voice tinged with something else. Irritation? Anger? Turak is not sure. “And also that ship is not real. It’s art. We don’t have any spaceships here in London.” 

Everyone’s quiet for a moment as they process this. No spaceship? That means that right now, they have no way of repairing the communication system, no way of contacting the ShiKahr. 

“A music performance does not compare in importance to our current situation,” Sakonna says, undoubtedly upset by this new revelation. “I would suggest we go to our ship immediately.” 

“What, right now?” Dan says, eyes big. “No! Absolutely not!” He stands up now, the anger suddenly bursting out completely. 

“Dan! Come on, surely we can do this? There’ll be other Muse concerts,” Phil says as he also stands up. 

“No! I’m not going to miss this concert!” 

Phil glances at the Vulcans before he grabs Dan’s arm and drags him around a corner. Turak suspects humans can’t hear quite as well as Vulcans, as she can still hear every word they say despite the general ruckus of large groups of humans gathering in one place. 

“Dan, calm down,” Turak hears Phil say. “Just think of it this way: we’ve just had first contact with an alien species! At a Muse concert! That’s amazing!”

“I will NOT calm down, Phil! First contact or not, and remember I’m still not decided on this, they’re ruining this concert! I’m not going to run out of this stadium to save some aliens!”

There’s a moment of silence then. “What?” Dan says, his voice filled with suspicion. 

“Well, I guess you could say you’re experiencing..._ hysteria _,” Phil says with a guffaw. 

“Oh fuck off, mate.” 

Phil’s voice turns more serious now. “Dan, is this really that important? I mean, I love Muse as well, but...” he trails off.

“It’s just… this was supposed to be about us, Phil. About the two of us. Muse is so important, not just to me, but to, you know, to us. Together. Especially this album: this was the first album we both listened to for the first time at the same time, and I don’t get to see you nearly as much as I would like, and I know it’s stupid, apparently there’s literal aliens there. You’re right, that should be the coolest thing to ever have happened.” 

There’s a sigh, and another moment of silence. This silence feels heavy, somehow. 

“Ugh, nevermind. I’m just overreacting.” 

“No, Dan, listen to me. I get it. I looked forward a lot to seeing you, too. Oh!” Phil’s voice suddenly goes up in pitch. “What if they also like Muse.” 

“I’m sorry, what?”

“What if they like Muse! They’re already inside the venue somehow, who even knows how they got in without tickets, so we might as well have them experience some proper Earth culture. We can all have a great time, and after that we can still see if we can help them get back to space!” 

“Wait, let me get this straight,” Dan says. “You want to take actual aliens with us to a rock concert to experience Earth culture?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Phil, only you could come up with an idea like that.” 

“It’s the perfect solution though! You and I get to spend time together, we still get to go to the concert, and we get to introduce aliens to the best band ever. It’s a win-win situation.” 

“You know what?” Dan shrugs. “This evening’s already weird enough, this might as well happen. Let’s do it!” 

\---

And so Turak and her crew (after a little bit of convincing) find themselves surrounded by thousands of humans, staring at the balloons bopping around in the audience. Dan explained earlier they represent Earth’s image of extraterrestrial beings. She’s not sure why humans bring alien-shaped balloons to a music concert.

Then the music starts, and Turak’s thoughts get interrupted as she loses herself in the concert for a while. It’s an exhilarating experience, to say the least. 

It’s fascinating how just three humans playing instruments on a raised platform can create such an emotional experience. Because that’s what this is: profoundly and purely emotional. All these thousands of humans are giving themselves over to the music and enjoying it together. 

There is love everywhere here. Love for the music, love for the humans making the music, love for each other. She can feel it pulsing all around her and within her. It creates an energy within the space that’s astounding in its intensity. It’s unlike anything she’s ever experienced. 

She looks at Dan and Phil, who are standing just to her left. There’s another kind of love there, one just between the two of them. It’s like they’re in their own little bubble, a safe haven. Vulcans might be telepathic and not psychic, but in this moment she knows without a doubt that these two will never separate. 

After the concert has apparently ended, she catches Dan’s eye and somehow shuffles over to him through the dense crowd. 

“This is a very agreeable experience. Is all Earth culture like this?” 

“Unfortunately not,” Dan says. “We have all kinds of culture, but this is definitely one of the best things there is.” 

“What other kinds of culture are there?”

“Well, there’s all sorts of music,” Phil says, leaning slightly against Dan as they all slowly shuffle towards the exit, dragged along by the crowd. “And then there’s art, like paintings in museums. There are books. I guess some people might say sports are a kind of culture which I think is gross. But I do like movies and theatre.” 

“And games!” Dan says very loudly. “We both love games!” 

“Captain,” Sakonna interrupts. “What will we do now?” 

“I suggest, if Phil and Dan agree to do so, that we all return to our ship and assess our current problems and priorities. Does everyone agree?” 

“That seems like the best course of action to me,” Romar says. 

“Sure!” Phil says. 

Everyone else having agreed as well, they slowly head back to the ship while chatting happily about the concert and Earth culture. 

Once back inside, Sakonna almost audibly sighs in relief at seeing the familiarity of the Vulcan ship. Everyone automatically fans out to their respective seats, leaving Dan and Phil standing awkwardly in the entryway. 

“You are allowed to enter,” Turak says, joining Romar, who has already started removing some of the plates that hide the wiring of the communication system. 

Dan is the first one to actually walk inside, taking Phil’s hand and pulling him along. 

Turak realizes suddenly the roles have turned. All day she and her crew have been the outsiders in a new environment, but now it’s Dan and Phil who are the strangers. 

They don’t seem entirely at ease, which is not surprising. But it is interesting how much they turn towards each other, as if they are each other’s lifelines and without the other they might drown. 

It’s making her think about her own life, and the opportunities she’s let slip by for the sake of society’s acceptance. For a society that preaches about diversity, Vulcans are surprisingly homogenous to the point of blatant xenophobia. 

It’s part of what drove her to go exploring in space: the opportunity to escape the stifling expectations everyone is supposed to adhere to. As captain of her own little ship she is granted certain freedom, but it comes with its own sacrifice, including leaving behind some opportunities she never had the courage to act on. She’d always assumed this was for the better, that she was too much of an outlier to deserve the things she wanted. 

She’s not so sure right now. 

Shaking off the thoughts, she waves Dan and Phil over to where she and Romar are now sitting on the floor. They shuffle aside to make enough space for Dan and Phil to take a look at the broken machinery. 

“I...have no idea what any of this is,” Phil says, while Dan bites his lip and looks at the mess worryingly. 

“For real, Turak. We weren’t kidding when we said we have no idea how to fix things.” 

There’s a pinging sound suddenly, coming from Phil’s pocket. He pulls out a small device. “Oh, I got a text from my mum.” 

“Kath! How is she doing?” 

“Fine, I’m sure. Oh! I have an idea!” Phil says, as he excitedly starts pushing buttons on his device. There’s a beeping sound for a moment, until a voice comes on. 

“Child!” The voice sounds softer and older. 

“Mum!” Yes, that explains it. “Before we talk about anything else, we need your advice on something.” 

“Oh no, what did you get up to? Are you okay? Is Dan okay?” 

“I’m fine, Kath!” Dan says, leaning into Phil to speak into the device, too. 

“Yeah, we’re both fine, don’t worry! Actually, mum, maybe get dad on the phone? We need technical advice.” 

“This is going to make your dad so happy,” Dan murmurs softly to Phil, who only nods a little. 

“Son?” 

“Dad! We need your manly expertise on something. We made some new friends at the concert, see, but their, uh, car engine is leaking something. Is there a way we can quickly fix it?” 

“You can call a professional, yes.” 

“But say we can’t, for reasons I can’t explain right now.” 

“Phil, what are you up to, and what kind of friends are these?” There’s a lot of worry in the voice. Turak is relieved to see that parental worry, at least, seems to be the same all over the galaxy. 

“Dad, I promise you we are both absolutely okay, we just need a quick fix for something leaky!” 

“Have you tried duct tape yet?” 

Turak doesn’t know what ‘duct tape’ is, but from the looks on Dan and Phil’s faces it’s something good. 

“Dad, you’re amazing, thank you!” 

“Just remember to find one that’s heat resistant. And make sure your friends get their car checked out as soon as possible. There’s plenty of car mechanics in London, I’m sure.” 

“Will do! Thanks! Tell mum I’ll call her soon!” 

He puts the device away, and looks around at the crew who have now all gathered around them. 

“So! Let’s go find a Tesco’s.” 

\--- 

“Captain, I wish to purchase this chocolate,” Aloran says as he lifts a basket that’s filled to the brim. 

“We do not possess the correct currency to purchase anything,” Turak says, sighing as she looks at the pile of chocolate. It does look enticing, and she is eager to experiment with the different kinds to see if there are different results. But Phil and Dan have agreed to buy the duct tape and some food supplies for them, and that’s already more generosity than Turak is comfortable accepting. 

The rest of her crew are scattered throughout the store, looking at all the different items available. The mission was to find duct tape and vegetables to cook with. Yet somehow she’s already declined Romar’s request to bring something called ‘cornflakes.’ Dan almost gave them ‘Marmite’ but for some reason Phil stopped him with a soft ‘Dan, no’ and a stern look as he took the jar out of Dan’s hands, which she was grateful for, but it also made her more curious. 

Dan and Phil are in a different section of the store now, looking for the material called duct tape. On the way here they’d described it as being a ‘magical tape’ that can ‘fix anything,’ which does not sound logical. But despite having known Dan and Phil for just a few hours, she knows enough about them by now to know they like to hyperbolize for fun and to not take everything they say at face value. 

Something her crew has yet to pick up on, unfortunately. 

Dan and Phil come walking around the corner, carrying a basket with five rolls of duct tape, an assortment of fruits and vegetables, and - to Aloran’s delight - some chocolate. 

“We didn’t know how much we’ll need, so we just grabbed a random amount,” Phil says while handing the basket to Aloran, who looks as if he has just graduated from school again. 

“Yeah, though please wait with the chocolate until you’re in cruise control or whatever it is you guys have on that ship. Drunk driving is not cool, ok,” Dan adds. 

They manage to make it out of the supermarket and back to the ship without more incidents. 

Romar and Phil immediately set to using the tape to repair their systems. Dan hovers nervously behind them. 

“Phil, please be careful. You’ll end up taping yourself to this ship and then you’ll have to go to this other planet. Ooh, actually, please do. Then I can eat all of Kath’s baking without having to share with you.” 

“Hey!”

“Romar, are you sure you want to let Phil do this. He might electrocute himself, you know.” 

“Dan!” Phil says in a whining voice though he’s smiling as he says it. 

Turak decides to step in. Phil might be laughing it off, but Dan is making her crew nervous. Sakonna is almost biting her nails, which is as close to an expression of anxiety Turak has ever seen a Vulcan get. 

“Dan, please come with me. I could use some explanation on how to prepare these vegetables you have bought for us.” 

“Oh! Uh, yeah. Sure,” Dan glances at Phil with more worry in his eyes than his behaviour lets on. 

Their ship doesn’t have a kitchen or pantry as they usually rely on the replicators, so instead she leads Dan to the small cargo bay in the back. 

Dan looks around appreciatively. 

“I like your aesthetic,” he says, glancing at the rows of lighting in the black walls. “It’s very sleek and monochrome.” 

“I’m glad you like it.” 

“Yeah, I’d love to have a house like this someday. Though I don’t think Phil would appreciate that. He likes clutter and colour and coziness.” 

“Do you intend to live together with Phil?” 

“Yes, absolutely. I already spend as much time with him as I can. I might as well just move in already. But my parents are making me live in student dorms first.” 

“Why would they do that, when you have a companion you could live with?” 

“Oh, um,” his voice goes quiet as he starts to fidget with his sleeves. “They don’t...know.” 

She stops here and turns to properly face Dan. They’ve stopped just outside the doors of the cargo bay, but this is far away enough from the bridge that no one else can overhear. 

“Dan. What is it your parents do not know?” If she thought he was still young before, she knows for sure now. He’s just a child, really. And something happened to make him this hesitant and hide things from his parents. She can tell it’s something serious.

“They think we’re really good friends. Which we are! But I don’t think..I’m just not ready to tell them the truth. That’s all. I don’t know about your planet, but here these things get...complicated.” 

She has a feeling she knows where this is going. Apparently, some things are the same across galaxies. 

“Anyway, it’s not important. It’ll work out.” He tries to smile at her, but fails abysmally. 

“We have a saying among my people. ‘Nothing that is, is unimportant.’ This connection you have with Phil, it’s important. What happened between you and your parents, that is also important.” 

She stops for a moment. There’s something else she’s missing. But then he glances up at her, and folds his arms as if he’s building a cage around himself. 

“Dan, has anyone ever told you that you are important? Because you are.” 

“I’m really not, though. And it’s ok! Someday I’ll manage to make my parents proud. When I become a fancy lawyer –” his face crumples for a split second before he smoothes it back, as if the thought of this future and what it means for him upsets him more than he’d like to admit. “Then, maybe. I don’t know.” 

Oh, how he reminds her of her younger self. It breaks her heart to see. 

“Dan, listen to me. I don’t know what has happened to you, I can only sense that something has.” She pauses, unsure of how to continue. 

“There was a song earlier at this concert. I do not know the title, but I believe it was about wondering if love could be wrong, about how others will try to break you apart but the act of loving itself is a kind of resistance. I’m sure you know better which song I am referring to.” 

“I do, yes.” 

“I had a love like that, on Vulcan. We do not choose our life partners. Instead they are chosen for us at birth, and we are betrothed most of our childhood. I was betrothed to a man called Sirak. He would have made a fine match, and I might have been happy with him.” 

“I feel a ‘but’ coming up.” 

“But, I was always an outlier. Too emotional, too uncontrolled. And there was a girl at my school. I realized I loved her more than Sirak. I did not know what to do. This is not entirely unheard of, but it is unusual and unacceptable in our society. I told someone in confidence. Within days, all my peers and teachers knew.” 

Dan looks at her, eyes wide and close to spilling tears. 

“It was not a good time. This is when I decided to go into space so I could leave my planet behind, and leave those that hurt me behind. I hoped I could be in a place without prejudice here. And I am. My crew is very accepting. But I often wonder, and more so after meeting you and Phil today, what might have happened had I been braver, had I not run away.

“You, Dan, are so brave. You are brave, and you are important. And I hope you will find your place in this world, together with Phil. Love is your resistance, so love him and more importantly, love yourself.” She can feel herself smirking. “Loving yourself despite everything they’ve done to hurt you and break you down is the best revenge.” 

Dan turns away, and she gives him this moment of semi-privacy to quickly wipe at his eyes. When he turns back, his eyes are red but he’s smiling. 

“Thanks,” he says. And then, “Let’s get those groceries sorted, eh?” 

\---

When Turak and Dan get back on the bridge, there’s a thick layer of duct tape covering not just the leaky parts but most of their communication system. But this doesn’t matter, as just when she is about to ask how the repairs are going, the voice of the communications officer of the ShiKahr rings through the room. 

“Captain Turak, respond when you receive this message.” 

“Captain Turak here. ShiKahr, it’s good to hear you.”

She can feel all the tension leave the room. From the corner of her eye she can see Dan and Phil standing together, whispering softly at each other. Phil’s hand is on Dan’s arm, as if he’s shielding him from the rest of the room. 

As it turns out, the ShiKahr is only 6 hours away. At this, Dan and Phil start grinning at each other. 

“6 hours you say?” Dan says. “We have the perfect game to play while we wait with you. Let us introduce you to a very popular Earth game called Monopoly. But first, let’s all eat some of that chocolate.” 

\---

_ Captain’s log _

_ Our unexpected journey onto the planet Earth, as the local inhabitants refer to it, has been an educational one. We have brought back sufficient samples of chocolate and duct tape for our scientists to research and recreate. _

_ As of right now, humans are not yet a warp capable species. Yet based on the history of their technological development (a short yet impressive history) and the continuing acceleration thereof, we believe that if they can set aside political differences they might very well reach warp capability within the next one hundred years. _

_ When this moment comes, we believe the Vulcan people can be of great importance to humans as they take their first steps outside of their solar system and into the wider galaxy. _

_ However, I personally believe the opposite to also be true. Humans have much to teach us. _

_ They might be less technologically advanced, and they still have much strife within and between communities. They are, at this moment, not even one unified people. _

_ But they are a species built around community and art. Their entire survival, both as individuals and as a species, depends on love. Love for each other, for themselves, for art and culture, in a way I have not seen in any other species in the galaxy. _

_ They have much to teach all of us. After all, what use are phrases like ‘infinite diversity in infinite combinations,’ meant to teach acceptance of all life in all its variations, if that acceptance does not come first from a place of love for all these differences? _

_ Logic is the cement of Vulcan civilization, with which we ascend from chaos, using reason as our guide. But having witnessed humans, I am led to wonder where we would have been had we allowed for emotion, too. I am led to wonder where I would have been today, had I accepted my own emotions. _

_ I suggest we keep an eye on humans. They might just change us all. _

**Author's Note:**

> 1) reblog on Tumblr [here](https://throwing-roses-into-the-abyss.tumblr.com/post/187632146777/cross-pollination-citizen101erased-phandomthe) (also come say hi to me if you like!)
> 
> 2) re: Turak being addressed as ‘sir’: I don’t know if this is technically Proper Vulcan Behaviour, but it is Star Trek canon compliant. In Star Trek Voyager, Captain Kathryn Janeway is very adamant about being called ‘sir’, and I thought I’d use it here too in her honour. She’s really rad y’all, I love Janeway. 
> 
> 3) In Star Trek Canon, the ShiKahr is a type of ship the Vulcans used that were named after the capital on the planet Vulcan. I decided to steal this and just name the ‘mothership’ the ShiKahr. 
> 
> 4) I’m not sure where this idea came from, but yes, Vulcans get drunk (or at least become something akin to tipsy) off chocolate. 
> 
> 5) Turak’s story is very autobiographical. I used my story here because it’s one I know well (obviously), but also because I always seriously side-eye the Vulcans and their ‘we accept everyone~~!’ spiel which we all know is blatantly untrue. 
> 
> 6) ’Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations’ (also known as IDIC) is a popular Vulcan phrase. It wasn’t used much in the show, nor was it liked by the actors who didn’t appreciate that a phrase stolen from the Jewish religion was used primarily for marketing purposes. But it’s very popular in fanfiction and I thought it applicable to use here. I like the idea of the phrase and how it promotes acceptance of diversity, but I do have some issues with it re - both the way it was used in the show and how it relates to what we know of actual Vulcan culture. 
> 
> 7) I definitely took some artistic liberty with a lot of things. I don’t think there’s a Tesco nearby that sells duct tape at such a late hour, for example. I also don’t know where D&P got Monopoly in the middle of the night. But hey, for the sake of fiction we can totally overlook some blatant plot holes, right? ;)


End file.
